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An art concept that allows Kiwis to become art collectors, at an affordable price, looks like becoming a regular event.

The third Artists Dinner will be held at Auckland’s Golden Dawn on June 26 and will offer 100 limited edition signed prints by five artists, for $40 each – plus sketches, paintings, photographs, test strips as well as some larger pieces.

The artists dinner concept comes from the idea that French artists of days past would pay for their meals with a sketch on the back of a napkin, says Libby McFadden, the producer of the event.

The first event was small, the second was a sell out, she says. McFadden and curator Aimee Ralfini hope it will now be held three times a year. McFadden says they have included well known artists like Flox and Fiona Pardington alongside some up and coming talent.

McFadden says The Artists Dinner is an opportunity for the artists to “clear out their studios and sell some of their favourite treasures, some of which you wouldn’t get a chance to see in a gallery”.

Ralfini wanted a way for Kiwis to “know New Zealand artists in very much the same way they know and follow musicians and bands”.

They hope the event will draw a different type of crowd, welcoming not only the usual suspects but also the wider creative community. The Artists Dinner presents the opportunity for the artists to chat with their audience on a one to one level, giving them the story behind each piece.